Monday, October 19, 2009

Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Market

Okay.  This is a work story.  I don’t especially like telling work stories, certainly not here, but this is funny, so I’ll make an exception.

We had just finished unloading a Frozen/Dairy truck (which entails pulling 2000-pound pallets across the store to one freezer or another), and I’m headed back up to my work area.  When I get there, one of the Assistant Managers, Daniel, is signing off on the Produce checklist.  He asks me if I would mind going back to Grocery Receiving and grabbing a clipboard from Marilyn’s workstation (the Claims/Receiving desk).  It’s the only clipboard back there, he says, with the date 10/19 on it.  Then he says something about crunchy French bread.

I say sure, I’ll go back and get it.  I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with the crunchy French bread.

When I get back to Marilyn’s desk, I have no trouble finding the clipboard.  I don’t see any crunchy bread, French or otherwise, so I ask one of the Support Managers, Fritz, if he knows anything.  He points to the back hall leading to my department.  It’s to the left, he says.  I walk up the hall, keeping my eyes peeled for any crunchy French bread on the left.  I see nothing.  I shrug and keep walking.

When I reach produce, I see no sign of Daniel.  I ask Michael if he had seen where he went.  Michael points past Produce, to Bakery.  So I go to Bakery.  Once again, no sign of Daniel.  So I ask Jerry, who is doing the closing clean-up.  Jerry points over his shoulder.  He went through that door, he says.  I don’t know which direction, just that he went out through that door.

I’m still holding the clipboard, unsure what to do with it.  Should I leave it in Produce in case Daniel comes back?  Or should I page Daniel and ask him what he wants me to do with it?  I have given up on the crunchy French bread.

Finally, I just decide to go back to Grocery Receiving.  If Fritz is still back there, I’ll ask him.  Sure enough, ol’ Fritz is still there.  I hold up the clipboard and tell him Daniel had wanted something done with it, and did he (Fritz) know what that was.  Where is this clipboard supposed to go? 

Oh, he says, that goes on Marilyn’s desk.

Ba-dum bum.

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